Graven - Valley Theory Tour
Growing up, Graven frontman Matt McKechnie was a massive listener of J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) and Led Zeppelin. Having played in garage bands since his mid-teens, he began to adapt and progress with the shifting musical terrain around him while still staying true to his idyllic influences.With production and inspiration from folks like Charles Austin in Halifax (producer of Buck 65, Matt Mays, Joel Plaskett) and Dean Watson in Ottawa (producer of Meredith Luce, The Soiree, The Murder Plans), Graven is ready to hit the streets and rumble for the good of soul-singers everywhere.
This past summer of 2009, Graven toured on their latest Ottawa-recorded and acclaimed EP Valley Theory. The title of the album symbolizes leaving old familiar terrain (the 'valley') for new adventures. Having limited time and an even more limited budget, Matt & gang recorded the 5 songs of the EP in about 8 hours in May with the help of sound guru Dean Watson (Gallery Recording Studios in Ottawa).
Sometimes changing all of the players (save for Matt himself) depending on the sound, Graven crosses between folk, power pop, hard rock, countrified cottage music and alternative country. Matt McKechnie’s songwriting style cannot be pinned down. The album also allowed Matt to finally showcase his irreplaceable and talented band of musicians -- Rehuel Ernest, Paul Godin, Owen Edwards and Landon Kotchapaw.The older, re-vamped track 1 'Northglow' was one of Matt's first Graven creations and was roughly recorded in 2002; it was also recently featured on Zunior.com mixtape. The highly anthemic 'I Speak Your Sadness' garnered Graven considerable attention as it centered around the story of one of Matt's musical idols - Halifax native Matt Murphy (of Flashing Lights & Super Friendz).
The song speaks about Matt Murphy's surreal stage presence and musicianship. McKechnie actually convinced Murphy to attend their show at the Horseshoe Tavern back in June where they were able to chat for a few minutes - Murphy later wrote McKechnie a message saying 'Great set! I ESPECIALLY loved the song about me!'
Free MP3 of 'I Speak Your Sadness': http://www.mediafire.com/?mmqh4muzzhy
The album then takes a fictional turn as 'Golden Garage' delves deeper into contemplation as we learn of another musical character who has traded artistic success for commercial fame. 'Harsh' then depicts the near collapse of the singer who wants nothing more than to leave his town while the uppity twang of 'Country Stars' might have introduced the singer to a new reason to stick around.
Free MP3 of 'Country Stars': http://www.mediafire.com/?znwnhzkiimo
Check out Matt and the good ship Graven as they hit the waters of the east coast for a stripped-down, 3-night-stand at The Carleton in Halifax while sprinkling in a few dates across Ontario for good measure.
March 11 - The Carleton, Halifax, NS
March 12 - The Carleton, Halifax, NS
March 13 - The Carleton, Halifax, NS
April 20 - TBA, Guelph, ON
May 1 - The Avant Garde, Ottawa, ON (w Texting Mackenzie)
You can find Graven at:
label - http://gravenrecords.com
myspace - http://myspace.com/gravencanada
twitter - http://twitter.com/gravencanada
youtube - http://youtube.com/gravencanada
Graven - Beginning Of The End Of Summer (Acoustic)
Labels: 2010, free downloads, Graven, live video, Tour Dates, Zunior
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